This invention relates to support assemblies for mounting accessories such as rearview mirrors in vehicles and, more particularly, to a vehicular accessory mount adapted to be secured on the inside surface of a vehicle windshield which separates upon impact to reduce occupant injuries, especially in vehicles equipped with inflatable restraining systems or air bags.
Vehicle interior accessories used by the driver are commonly secured to either the header area near the top of the front windshield or directly to the inside surface of the windshield in the forward vision area of the driver. During accidents or sudden stops, if the driver or front seat occupants are thrown forwardly, serious injury can result from striking the accessory or its support system. Consequently, many different supports have been proposed in the past to allow the accessory, such as a rearview mirror, to release and separate from its mounting if impacted.
More recently, inflatable restrain systems, commonly known as air bags, have been incorporated in the instrument panel area of many vehicles. Such systems include flexible plastic bags which are rapidly inflated with pressurized air or gas in a fraction of a second to provide a cushion preventing serious injury to the front seat occupants. However, the use of inflatable restraint systems has created new problems with conventional designs for interior rearview mirrors and other vehicle accessories. For example, during inflation, an air bag can strike the rearview mirror when mounted adjacent the interior windshield surface and either tear the bag and destroy its effectiveness or actually break the rearview mirror from its mount due to the force of the inflation thereby leaving sharp objects protruding from the broken assembly which can themselves injure passengers.
If the inflation of the air bag does not create problems, the final position of the air bags might. Normally two inflatable bags are provided, one on each side of the front of the vehicle compartment. When inflated, the bags usually engage one another in the center of the vehicle, generally in the area of the rearview mirror. If thrown forwardly against the bags, a front seat occupant can be funneled toward the boundary between the inflated bags and thus directly into the rearview mirror, especially if seated in the center of the vehicle. Also, the inflated bags can sometimes trap the mirror and prevent the mirror from properly releasing to prevent injuries. Thus, prior known accessory/rearview mirror mounts have not functioned properly with inflatable restraint systems or have actually created additional dangers within the vehicle passenger compartment.
In addition, the size and complexity of prior known breakaway mirror mounting assemblies has often made them undesirable. Further, many of the prior known mounting assemblies are totally destroyed when they are impacted thereby preventing their reuse and causing increased expense. Also, many prior known mounting assemblies have prematurely failed under road shocks and vibration, or varying temperature conditions.
Accordingly, the present mounting assembly invention was conceived as a solution for these and other previously encountered problems.